GOAL!!! Thank you 3FC!

I never thought I would get here, but here I am. I realize I haven’t been on the 3FC boards in a while. Life has been kind of crazy the past 4 months, so it’s been tough to find the time. However, during my absence, I have, in fact, reached goal. So, I decided I should share my story.

I have been looking forward to writing this for over two years!!!!

My story:

My weight loss journey has been a wild roller coaster ride.

By 2nd grade, I was the “chubby one”. I could see that I was different from the other kids, but it didn’t bother me much. Two years later, I was obese, weighing in at 165 lbs (a little over 4 feet tall at the time). By then, was very aware of my weight problem. Every day I went to school, I wanted to run and hide. I knew I stood out like a sore thumb, but I tried to hide my low self esteem by cracking jokes about how fat I was. I figured if I acted like it didn’t bother me, no one would notice.

By sixth grade I felt repulsive, ugly, like I was cursed to be fat forever. The boy I had a crush on at the time made it quite obvious that I was not “in his league” and it killed me, because I believed it. I thought no one would ever think I was pretty, and I suffered through a serious bout of depression.

When I turned 14, my body began to change and I experienced a sudden growth spurt, all over the course of one summer. On my last day of 7th grade, I had left, still very overweight… but I came back for my 1st day of eighth grade looking like a completely different person. For the first time in my life, I was an average weight. I didn’t exercise, so while I was technically in the “normal” weight range, I still looked a little chunky. However, compared to where I had been, it was a huge improvement. I didn’t feel “thin”… but I didn’t feel like the “fat one” either. I was at 135 (at 5’2”) then, and I maintained that weight for two years.

Then, the pounds started piling back on. The stress of moving to college caused me to pack on 20 lbs. When I reached 157, I went on a diet. It lasted 3 months, and during that time, I lost 8 lbs, to bring me to 149. I stayed there for a while, but then I got engaged, and the stress of the wedding packed on 5 lbs. On my wedding day, I weighed 154 lbs.

The transition from living with my parents at home, to living as a 21 year old married woman in another state caused me to stress eat to the extreme. In the first 3 months after our wedding, I had gained 13 lbs, putting me at 167 (my heaviest). That is when I first found 3FC. Desperate to stop my weight gain from spiraling out of control, I got a gym membership and started working out. I also changed my eating habits. In 4 months, I was able to lose 14 lbs, bringing me back to the weight I was at my wedding. But, I fell off the wagon after getting a new job (where junk food was abundant), and my weight climbed up steadily, eventually coming to rest again at 167.

After the economic downturn, the company I worked for went downhill. I decided to quit. It was one of the best and scariest decisions I have ever made. While I was terrified about what the future held, I was also determined to get myself moving in the right direction. For the first time, I had the chance to re-evaluate who I was, where I was going, and concentrate on becoming the person I always wanted to be. That included being a healthier, happier, more confident person.

I was unemployed for 6 months. I began to work out religiously, going for runs 5-6 days a week. I cut down my portions, and I got rid of *most* of the junk food. But, more importantly, I finally put a stop to my self loathing. I made a conscious effort to fall in love with my body, and love it for what it was. I came to terms with the fact that I didn’t have to be “magazine perfect” to be beautiful. I just had to be the best “me” that I could be. So I worked towards that goal.

I started losing weight in January, after leaving my first job. When I first changed my lifestyle, I was 167.5 lbs. Last week, I got on the scale…

And it read 130.8.

In 4th grade, I was wearing a size 16 in jeans. After my growth spurt in the summer after seventh grade, I could just barely squeeze into a size 8. I had never… ever… worn a size 6. That had always been my goal…

Two weeks ago, I slipped on a pair of size 6 jeans in the dressing room and I cried. Not only did they fit… but they were loose in waist.

For the first time in my life, I LOVE MY BODY. I feel sexy, I feel beautiful, I feel confident. I have never felt this way before, and it’s simply euphoric. I would often see on 3FC someone saying “Nothing can taste as good as being thin feels” and as a chronic over-eater, I had a very hard time believing that. But, now I understand, and it’s the honest truth.

So, the lessons I have learned through this experience:

1. You don’t have to give up anything. I still splurge. I still enjoy all my favorite foods. I just eat less of them.

2. Find exercise that you can enjoy doing, or you’ll never stick to it.

3. Your weight may be a part of who you are, but it in no way “defines” you.

4. It is important to love your body at any weight. All the times that I lost weight and gained it back, I was trying to lose weight because I hated who I was. I used self loathing as a motivator… and it always failed. This time, I used love as a motivator, and the pounds just slipped off. I tried to change all of my negative, nit-picky comments I usually thought to myself, into compliments. Instead of “wow, my butt is huge” I would think “Wow, my eyes are really blue and pretty.”

5. Reward yourself with non-food items that make you feel good about yourself. I bought make up, lingerie, new clothes, jewelry and perfume for myself whenever I reached an important milestone.

Before I wrap this up and include the obligatory “Before and after photos”, I just want to thank everyone at 3FC for your support, your wisdom, and your courage. We are all fighting the same good fight, and I could have never done it without the motivational words and the wealth of information that I received from many of the members here. I hope I made you guys proud.

Thanks again 3FC!!!

BEFORE (and wow, does it take courage to post these):

After (at about 135):

After (tonight, in my living room)

In this shot, the "pouch" belly you see is unfortunately accentuated by my over-sized size 8 pants. I haven't actually bought size 6s yet, so I am still wearing my 8s which are quite loose :

__________________ Started 4/14/08 LINK TO PROGRESS PICS 1/1/2009 "It is impossible to live pleasurably without living wisely, well, and justly, and it is impossible to live wisely, well, and justly without living pleasurably" Epicurus

Wow! You look great! Like others, I can relate a lot. I was overweight all through elementary school and hit a growth spurt in 8th grade that caused me to grow 5 inches and lose 20 pounds. Almost 20 years later, I still remember getting on a scale in my mom's bathroom and seeing 117 pounds. Unfortunately, I gained it all back (and then some) and have never been able to get back to the 8th grade weight. I recently found 3FC and have been inspired by stories like yours!

Thank you SO MUCH for posting! It's great especially to see someone my very same height with before & after photos -- gives me an idea of what I might look like when I'm trimmer, and that's so motivating! You look great. Congratulations on all your hard work and your courage.